Magnetic switch valve



Jan; 1, 1963 P. NIXON I 3,071,340

MAGNETIC SWITCH VALVE Filed June 15, 1960 lag-A INVENTOR PHILLIP NIXON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,071,340 MAGNETHQ SWETCH VALVE Phillip Nixon, 608 Glendale llrive, Glenview, 11]. Filed June 15, 1960, Ser. No. 36,319 Claims. (Cl. 251-65) This invention relates to a valve having general utility in fluid conduit systems and consists more particularly in new and useful improvements in a gate-type magnetic switch valve especially adapted for use in connection with appliances such as washing machines, where ease of operation in quickly opening or closing the line is of importance.

An object of the invention is to provide a switch valve of this nature including magnetic means for automatically maintaining the valve gate in either fully opened or fully closed positon upon the tripping of a control lever.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch valve wherein the gate is mounted on one end of a freely pivoted control lever and including a double acting magnet adapted to complete the opening or closing of the valve upon a selected initial movement of the control lever and to maintain said valve in the selected position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch valve of this type wherein the magnetic means is mounted externally of the valve housing and coacts with the control lever of magnetic metal in completing the valve actuation and in maintaining a selected position of the valve.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a magnetically controlled switch valve which is simple in construction and positive in operation and one which is extremely easy to manipulate.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the valve assembly installed in a conduit and mounted in the housing of the appliance;

FIG. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the valve housing with its closure plate removed and reversed;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the valve;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view partially in section, taken on line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the valve housing; and

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing a modified form of sealing ring arrangement.

In the drawings, 18 represents the valve body orhousing formed of non-magnetic material such as brass. The housing is relatively shallow and substantially elliptical in plan, internally recessed from one side to provide a valve chamber 11. A closure plate 12 also of non-magnetic material, is removably attached to one side of the housing 18 by means of screws 13 which engage complementary threaded openings 14 in the edge of the housing wall, thus closing the chamber 11.

An internally threaded inlet connection 15 is preferably integrally cast with the housing at one side thereof and opens to the chamber 11 in an inlet port 16. On the opposite side of the housing, the closure plate 12 is provided with a similar outlet connection 17 communicating with the chamber 11 through discharge port 18, said connections and ports being coaxially aligned with one another on opposite sides of the housing 10. A

neck 19 is integrally formed with the housing 10 and projects at right angles from one edge thereof, the outer end of said neck being reduced and externally threaded as at 20 to receive a suitable nut 21 for securing the valve assembly to a support 22 which, for example, may be the casing of a washing machine or the like.

The neck 19 is provided with a central longitudinal bore 23 which is restricted substantially midway of its length to form an annular shoulder 24, and from the shoulder 24 the bore flares as at 25 and terminates in communication with the valve chamber 11 as best seen in FIG. 5. The outer end of the bore beyond the shoulder 24, is enlarged to form a well 26 internally threaded to receive an adaptor 27 to be later described.

A valve gate 28 in the form of a relatively fiat circular disc of greater diameter than the aligned ports 16 and 18, is disposed edgewise in the chamber 11 and threadedly connected to one end of a control lever 29 which extends through the bore 23 and projects from the outer extremity thereof, a handle or knob 31 being carried at the outer end of the control lever. The control lever 29 is pivotally mounted with respect to the neck 19, by means of a collar 31 which fits in the Well 26 and rests upon the shoulder 24. The control lever extends through a central opening in the collar 31 which has inset therein an O-ring 32 arranged to tightly embrace the control lever 29 and defining the axis of the pivotal movement of the latter. The adaptor 27 upon being screwed into the threaded well 26, firmly engages the collar 31 and secures it against the shoulder 24, said adaptor being provided internally with an outwardly flaring recess 33 which, together with the oppositely flar ing portion 25 of the bore 23, accommodates the pivotal movement of the control lever about the axis formed by the O-ring 32. Thus, by rocking the control lever 29,

the valve gate 28 is caused to reciprocate in the chamber 11 into and out of operative position between the aligned ports 16 and 18.

As seen in FIG. 5, the profile of the valve chamber 11 is slightly arcuate so as to define an arcuate path for the valve gate 28 in its movement to and from open and closed positons with respect to the aligned ports 16 and 18. Thus, the pivotal movement of the control lever 29 about its axis 32 causes the valve gate 28 to move in a predetermined and confined path with no possibility of becoming out of alignment with the respective ports 1618.

A permanent magnet 34 of substantially U-shape externally embraces one side of the neck 19 with its opposite poles 34a and 34b projecting into the bore 23 of the neck 19 through radial openings 35 in the wall of the neck. The opposed, transversely spaced extremities of the poles 34a and 34b preferably diverge on angular lines parallel with the respective adjacent walls of the flaring portion 25 of the bore 23, so that when the intervening portion of the control lever 29 engages either one of the poles 34a or 34b, the lever will flushly abut the respective poles of the magnet. Also, if desired, the lever engaging edges of the magnet poles may be grooved as at 36 to accommodate the periphery of the lever 29.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, each of the ports 16 and 18 is bounded by an annular groove 37 which receives an individual O-ring 38 of any suitable sealing material. The O-rings are of sufiicient thickness to engage and seal the respective side faces of the valve.

gate 28 when the latter is interposed therebetween in closed position.

In installations required to operate under high pressure conditions, the modified sealing arrangement shown in FIG. 7 may be employed. Here it will be seen that the discharge port 18 is provided with two concentric 0- rings 38a and 38b arranged in a suitably enlarged annual groove 37a. Preferably, one of these rings 38a is composed of soft flexible material adapted to provide a seal for a low pressure range of from 1 to 200 p.s.i. and the other ring 38b is composed of a harder and more resilient material such as Teflon, to provide a seal in the 200l0,000 p.s.i. range. The pressure is exerted on the back of the valve gate 28 through inlet port 16 and when high pressures are encountered, the soft ring 38a is depressed and the gate is forced into contact with the hard ring 38b. In other Words, with this double ring arrangement, the soft ring is sufiicient to effect a seal under pressure of from 1-200 p.s.i., but when higher pressures are involved, this soft ring is first compressed and thereafter the sealing action is taken over by the hard ring.

As shown in FIG. 1, the valve housing is installed in an appliance with liquid conduits 39 and 40 screwed into the respective connections and 17 to control the flow of liquid through said conduits.

It will be apparent that when the control lever 29 undergoes a slight initial movement in either direction about its pivot point 32, the magnetic force of the corresponding pole of the magnet 34 will complete that movement and maintain the valve gate 28 either open or closed until a reverse movement of the control lever 29 is initiated. Thus, the invention provides a valve which is extremely easy to operate with finger-tip control and one which is positive in its shifting .to fully opened or fully closed position.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A self-contained sliding gate valve assembly comprising a body of non-magnetic material, a closed valve chamber in said body having fluid inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat bounding at least one of said openings, a valve gate slidably mounted in said chamber for movement to and from engagement with said seat, .a rigid control lever of magnetic material pivotally mounted on said body externally of said chamber with .one end extending into said chamber and connected to said gate, its .opposite end forming a handle projecting from said body, and magnetic means fixed to said body, biasing said lever in opposite directions, whereby upon rocking said lever in either direction to selectively position said gate, the latter is maintained in the selected position .by magnetic force.

2. A self-contained sliding gate valve assembly .comprising a body of non-magnetic material, a closed valve chamber in saidbody having fluid inlet and outlet openings,

a valve seat bounding at least one of said openings, a valve gate slidably mounted in said chamber for movement to and from engagement with said seat, a rigid control lever of magnetic material pivotally mounted on said body externally of said chamber, with one end extending into said chamber and connected to said gate, its opposite end forming a handle projecting from said body, and magnetic means disposed on opposite sides of said control lever, respectively biasing the latter in opposite directions, whereby upon rocking said lever in either direction to selectively position said gate, the latter is maintained in the selected position by magnetic force.

3. A self-contained sliding gate valve assembly comprising a body of non-magnetic material, a closed valve chamber in said body having fluid inlet and outlet openings, a valve seat bounding at least one of said openings, a valve gate slidably mounted in said chamber for movement to and from engagement with said seat, a hollow neck formed on said body and opening into said chamber at one end, a rigid control lever of magnetic material pivotally mounted intermediate its ends within said neck, one end of said lever extending into said chamber and connected to said gate, its opposite end forming a handle projecting from said neck, and magnetic means mounted on said neck and having opposite poles projecting through the wall of said neck and terminating in transversely spaced relation on opposite sides of said control lever, whereby upon rocking said lever in either direction to selectively position said gate, the latter is maintained in the selected position by magnetic force.

4. A gate valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the op posed extremities of respective poles are inclined to complement the angular disposition of the adjacent portion of said lever upon pivotal movement of the latter to its opposite extreme positions.

5. A gate valve as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inclined extremities of said poles are respectively grooved to accommodate the periphery of the adjacent portion of said control lever.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 165,493 Morse July 13, 1875 241,568 Spratt May 17, 1881 1,014,070 Laxton Jan. 9, 1912 1,606,355 Fisher Nov. 9, 1926 1,617,503 Seymour Feb. 15, 1927 2,558,471 Whitlock June 26, 1951 2,575,086 Atchison Nov. 13, 1951 2,781,787 Johnson Feb. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,128,725 France Aug. 27, 1956 

1. A SELF-CONTAINED SLIDING GATE VALVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A BODY OF NON-MAGNETIC MATERIAL, A CLOSED VALVE CHAMBER IN SAID BODY HAVING FLUID INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS, A VALVE SEAT BOUNDING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, A VALVE GATE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER FOR MOVEMENT TO AND FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEAT, A RIGID CONTROL LEVER OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY EXTERNALLY OF SAID CHAMBER WITH ONE END EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER AND CONNECTED TO SAID GATE, ITS OP- 